Door type slip elevator



Feb. 11, 1936. F. J. YOUNG ET AL DOOR TYPE SLIP ELEVATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 30, 1931 Attorney:

Feb. 11, 1936. F. J. YOUNG ET A1. 2,030,987v

DOOR TYPE SLIP ELEVATOR Original Filed June 50, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors W W M I Feb. 11, 1936. J YOUNG 2,030,087

v DOOR TYPE SLIP ELEVATOR Original Filed June so, 1931 s Sheets-Sheet s Attorneys Patented Feb. 11, 1936 noon TYPE SLIP ELEVATOR Forrest Joseph Young, Los Angeles, Spencer William Long, Redondo Beach, and John Shelby Morgan, Jr., Inglewood, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The National Superior Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original application June 30, 1931, Serial No. 547,870. Divided and this application May 9, 1932, Serial No. 610,044

7 Claims. (Cl. 294) This application is a division of the application, Serial No. 547,870, filed June 30, 1931, for Door type slip elevator which matured into Patent No. 1,920,617, August 1, 1933.

This invention relates to well elevators, and particularly to the side door slip type elevator for use in handling pipes, casing and the like, during the drilling of wells.

An object of this invention is to provide a door type slip elevator including a body having a gate hinged thereto at one side of the body and a latch means at the other side of the body for holding the gate closed, which latch is of the yoke type mounted on a hinge pin at the back of the body to pass over the free end of the gate.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gate type slip elevator including a body having a gate pivotally mounted at one side of the body, the free end of the gate being formed to rest upon a heavy shoulder protruding from the body at the opposite side of the body, and which body and gate are so formed to provide a tapered bore through the elevator in which bore segmental slips are yieldably mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a. door type slip elevator including a body having a pivotally mounted gate, the body and gate being formed to provide a tapered bore axially of the elevator in which bore segmental slips are mounted on stepped slip seats, and which slips are yieldably held out of pipe-engaging position by spring members mounted within the body to yieldably urge the slips upwardly out of pipe engaging position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a slip type elevator in which segmental slips are provided, each of which slips is provided with a spring bumper pin on its upper end and which permits the elevator to be closed'around a pipe or tube, and then to be raised until the bumper pins of the slips are engaged by the collar on the pipe or tube, the bumper pins serving to stop the upward travel of the slips as the elevator is raised until the slips are set into gripping position against the pipe or tube, the bumper pins being held yieldably upwardly with sufficient force to set the slips before the yieldable means for said bumper pins have been depressed to their limit so that a load of the string pipe or tubing can never come upon the pipe or tubing collar. The bumper pins being yieldably held in position and engaging the fairly true shoulder of the collar of the pipe or tubing, all the slips are set evenly due to the yieldable engagement of the bumper pins with the collar.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gate type slip elevator including a body having a gate pivoted at one side thereof and being provided with a latch of heavy construction provided with a latch pin which is visible at all times to the operator of the elevator, enabling a visual determination as to whether the latch pin itself is in latching or unlatching position.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a gate type slip elevator embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the body of the elevator with the gate removed and with one sectional slip removed, looking outward from the bore of the elevator.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the gate of the elevator removed from the body and with one sectional slip of the gate removed, looking outward from the bore of the elevator.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation taken on substantially the line 55 of Figure 1 of the slip and body assembly.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 66 of Figure 2 taken through the latch mechanism and illustrating the latch pin as moved to disengaging position.

Figure 7 is a fragmental sectional plan view taken substantially on the line VII-VII of Figure 6 illustrating the latch pin and latch lug construction embodied in our elevator.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention, I indicates the body of an elevator having elevator link receiving ears 2 for the reception of standard elevator links.

The ears 2 are closed by means of closure cap pins 3 which are passed through the lower projections 4 of the ears 2 and retained in position by means of transverse pins 5.

Pivotally secured to one side of the elevator on a pivot pin 6 is a gate 1. The gate 1 is adapted to be latched in closed position relative to the body I by means of a yoke type latch 8. When in closed position the gate 1 is supported with relation to the body l on a gate supporting shoulder 9 provided by the upper surface of a gate lug l0 which protrudes from and is formed integral with the body I. jects into the cut-away portion ll of the gate 1 so that the plane surface l2 of the gate rests The gate protruding lug pro-- upon the gate supporting shoulder 9. By this construction the weight of the gate and the structure supported by the gate is taken not only by the pivot pin 6, but also at the opposite sides of the body I upon the shoulder 9 of the body I.

The gate 1 is provided with a hinge lug I3 formed with a vertical bore through which the hinge pin 6 passes when the hinge lug I3 is positioned within the hinge recess I4 of the body I. The lower surface I5 of the hinge recess I4 provides a thrust-receiving surface to which the load imposed upon the gate 1 by the weight of the pipe or tubing being supported is transmitted from the gate 1 to the elevator links mounted within the ears 2 of the elevator. The gate 1 is swung into and out of closed position by the operator grasping and actuating the handle 1% The body I and the gate 1 of the elevator are formed to provide the tapered axial bore of the elevator within which segmental slips I6 are positioned. The bore of the elevator thus formed is stepped to provide two stepped tapered slip seats I! and I8, and the body of the elevator is formed with the stepped seats I! and I8 in order to enable the slips I6 to be formed light in weight, and also to enable the bore of the elevator body to be maintained as small as possible. The stepping of the bore of the elevator to provide the two stepped tapered slip seats I! and I3, also provides an upthrust stop shoulder i9 within the bore of the elevator which cooperates with the stop shoulder 20 formed intermediate the stepped tapered surfaces 2I and 22 at the rear of the segmental slips I6 to hold the segmental slips I6 from being thrust upwardly out of the bore of the'eleva-tor.

Each of the four segment-a1 slips I6 is of the same construction and is mounted in the same manner within the body I or the gate 1 of the elevator and the interior surface of the body I and gate I are formed in the same manner.

The construction and mounting of only one of the segmental slips need therefore be described.

In Figure 5 there is illustrated in section the mounting and construction of one of the segmental slips I6 mounted in the body I, and the slips I 3 are herein illustrated as including a body having on its inner periphery a serrated pipeengaging surface 23 and having its rear surface tapered in stepped fashion to form the two stepped seats 2| and 22 which seat upon the stepped tapered seats I! and. I8 of the body I and gate 1 respectively.

The slip I6 has at its rear surface a guiding lug 24 and at its upper end a pin lug 25. A stepped slip pin 26 is passed through the lugs 24 and 25. The stepped pin 26 is stepped to provide a spring stop shoulder 21 and a spring 28 is mounted on the portion of reduced diameter of the stepped pin 26 within a pin bore 29 formed in the body I so that the spring engages the lower end seat 39 of said bore to yieldably urge the pin 26, and hence the segmental slip I6 upwardly in the bore of the body.

The guiding lug 24, which projects from the rear surface of the segmental slip I6 adjacent the stop shoulder 20, fits Within a guide lug recess 3! formed in the body to receive the portion of reduced diameter of the slip pin 26.

The slip pin 29 is secured to the pin lug 25 by means of a pin which is removably passed transversely through the pin lug 25 and the slip pin 26. The segmental slips I6 are thus normally held by means of the spring 28 normally thrust upward in the bore of the elevator out of pipeengaging position to where the shoulder 29 of the slips I6 engages the shoulder I9 of the body I.

Each slip I6 is permanently equipped with a spring bumper pin 32 at its upper end. The spring bumper pin 32 is provided to allow the elevator to be closed on the pipe or tube and then to be raised against the collar of the pipe or tube, and serves to stop the upward travel of the slips I6 as the elevator is raised, setting the slips I6 into gripping position against the pipe or tube.

The bumper pins 32 are yieldably urged upwardly by means of bumper pin. springs 33, which have sufficient force to set the slips I6 before the springs 33 are completely depressed so that the load of the string of pipe or tubing can. never come directly upon the pipe or tubing collar. As the collar of the pipe or tube forms a fairly new shoulder, all the slips I6 are evenly set due to the yieldable mounting of the bumper pins 32.

The bumper pins 32 are mounted in bores 34 formed in the body of the slips I6 and are mounted in. bumper pin recesses formed at the upper ends of the body of the slips I6. The bumper pins 32 at their lower ends engage the upper ends of the bumper pin springs 33 which are seated within. the bumper pin bores 34 formed in the body of the slips to urge the bumper pin yieldably upwardly. The bumper pins 32 are retained in position by means of bumper pin stop pieces 36 which are welded to the upper face of the body of the slips to project over the bumper pin recesses and engage the outer portion of the T- shaped heads 31 formed integral with the bumper pins 32.

The latch 8 is preferably of the following construction:

The rear portion of the body I is formed with a latch pin projection 38 and the latch yoke 39 projects above and below the body I and is pivotally secured to the. body I by means of the pivot pin 49 which passes through the eye ends of the yoke latch member 39 and is secured in position by means of a transverse pin 4| passing through the latch pin projection 38 of the body I.

The door 1 is formed with a plane latch face: 42 which extends substantially parallel with the plane passed through the ears 2 and the axial center of the elevator so. that the latch yoke 39, when in latched position, projects across the said plane in position substantially at right angles from the said plane passing through the center of the ears 2 and the axial center of the elevator. In this manner the entire load or force tending to open the gate 1 is transmitted directly by the latch yoke 39 through the hinge pin 40 to the body I, and is not supported on the latch pin 49 in any way.

The latch yoke 39 is formed with a transverse latch bar 44 having latch-engaging faces 45 which pass over and seat upon the plane latch face 42 of the gate 1. A U-shaped handle 43 projects outwardly from the ends of the latch bar 44 and carries a latch actuating lever 41. The latch actuating lever 41 is pivotally supported on a pin 48 upon the inner surface of the vertically extending portion of the U-shaped handle 46 to be protected from accidental actuation. The latch actuating lever 41 is operatively connected with the latch pin. 49 which is mounted to move in a horizontal direction in guide bores formed in the U-shaped handle 46 and in the latch bar 44.

The latch pin 49 is of reduced diameter where it passes through the latch bar 44 so as to provide fined in part by the inner face 'of said handle for a stop shoulder 50 which limits the inward projection of the latch pin 49 to where the outer end 5| of the latch pin 49 is flush with the outer surface of the U-shaped handle 46.

A latch spring 52 is mounted in a cylindrical spring recess 53 formed in the latch lever 41 and is passed over a latch spring trunnion 54 mounted on the inner hollow surface of the vertical branch of the U-shaped handle 46. The latch spring 52 yieldably urges the latch pin 49 into latching position. The face of the latch pin 49 is beveled as indicated at 55 so that as the latch yoke 39 is swung over the tapered latch pin face 56 of the gate 1, the latch pin 49 will be moved inwardly against the pressure of the latch spring 52, permitting the latch to pass into a latch pin bore 51 formed from the latch face 42 of the gate 1. The latch lever 41 is operatively connected with the latch pin 49 by having its yoke projecting ends 58 fitting in recesses 59 formed in the latch pin 49. When the latch pin- 49 is moved outwardly to unlatched position, the rear end 5| will project from the vertical portion of the U-shaped handle 46, giving to the operator a visual indicator of when the latch pin 49 is, and when it is not, engaged.

The body I of the elevator is so formed as toprovide a recessthrough which the lower horizontally extending portion of the latch yoke 8 extends. With the recess as thus formed in the body I and with the lower extension of the latch yoke projecting through this recess, it will be obvious from an inspection of Figure 2 that there is no obstruction provided on the. bottom surface or contour of the elevator and there are no obstructions or recesses formed at this point of the elevator in which ropes or other articles utilized in oil well derricks might become caught during the relative movements of the elevator. In fact, the yoke extends through a recess formed in the body and partially through a recess formed in the gate 1 of the elevator and provides a further feature in that during the lowering of the elevator no obstruction or object which the elevator might strike can act to disengage the latch yoke 8 from the latching position.

Having fully described our invention, it is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but our invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the com bination of a body, a gate pivotally supported to one side of the body, a latch yoke pivotally supported by the body to pass over the free end of the gate to hold the gate in closed position, a latch means carried by the latch yoke, the latch yoke being provided with a handle, means mounted within the handle for actuating the latch means, and the latch means including a latch pin adapted to pass into a latch pin bore formed in the gate to hold the latch yokefrom swinging away from the free end of the gate and adapted to project outwardly from the handle when held from passing into the latch pin bore.

2. In a gate type elevator, the combination of a body, a gate pivotally supported at one side of the body, a latch yoke pivotally supported by the body to pass over and engage the free end of the gate to hold the gate in closed position, a handle on said yoke, latch means carried by the latch yoke comprising a latch pin adapted to fit within a recess formed within the gate, means for yieldably urging the latch pin into latching position, means positioned within the hand enclosure deactuating the latch pin to a retrieved position, and indicator meansassociated with the latch means and projecting beyond the face of the yoke when the latch is not in full latched position, said indicator means being concealed within the yoke when the latch means is fully latched.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a gate pivotally supported at one side of the body, a latch yoke pivotally supported by the body to pass over the free end of the gate to hold the gate in closed position, the latch yoke being formed to provide a handle, a latch pin passed through a portion of the yoke and handle in position to fit within a latch pin recess formed in the free end of the gate, said handle being recessed and substantially U-shaped in cross-section, a latch actuating lever mounted within the recess formed in said handle, a portion of said lever projecting beyond the vertical edges of said handle to permit manual retraction thereof upon the handle being grasped, means operatively connecting the lever and latch pin, and means to hold the latch pin in latching position.

4. In a gate type elevator, the combination of a body, a gate pivotally supported at one side of the body, latch means for latching the body in closed position including a latch yoke pivotally supported at the rear of the body and extending to the forward portion thereof in position to swing over the free end of the gate, the body of the elevator being provided with a recess spaced upwardly from its lower end through which the lower portion of the latch yoke extends, and latch means carried by the latch yoke for securing the latch yoke to the gate.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a gate member, means to pivotally support said gate member at one side of the body, a latch member pivotally mounted on said body and adapted to releasably engage the free end of the gate member to hold it in its closed position, handles provided on said latch member and gate member for manual and sequential operation to actuate said members out of their normal closed position, a latch member retaining means to releasably maintain said latch member in its closed position, said retaining means having an actuating element operatively associated with one of said handles, said actuating element pivoted at one end in the handle and provided with a horizontally movable locking pin at its free end for engagement with a corresponding recess in the gate member, said actuating element and its associated handle being adapted to be grasped simultaneously by the operator as he grasps the other of said handles to effect a release or disengagement of said retaining means preparatory to swinging said latch member away from said gate member.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a gate member, means to pivotally support said gate member at one end of the body, a yoke-shaped latch member pivotally mounted on said body and adapted to releasably engage the free end of the gate member to hold it in its closed position, handles provided on said latch member and gate member for manual and sequential operation to actuate said members out of their normal closed position, a latch member retaining means, including a horizontally movable pin, mounted on said latch member and releasably engaging a recess in said gate member to maintain said latch member in its locked position, said retaining means including an actuating element pivoted at one end. within the handle enclosure defined in part by the inner face of the handle and connected at its other .end to said pin, said actuating element being adapted to be grasped simultaneously by the operator as he grasps the handle to effect a release of the, retaining means preparatory to swinging the latch member away from said gate member.

7. In a well casing support, the combination of a body, a gate, means to pivotally support said gate at one side of the body, the free end of they gate comprising an inverted substantially L- shaped section defining an outer vertical face and an inner downwardly facing shoulder substanthe latch yoke in its locked position over the free 10 end. of the gate.

FORREST JOSEPH YOUNG. SPENCER WILLIAM LONG. JOHN SHELBY MORGAN, JR. 

